Railway-signal



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

A. J. ARMSTRONG.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

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2 'Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. J. ARMSTRONG RAILWAY SIGNAL.

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llrtrrnn Sra'rns Earhart* @einem ANDREV J. ARMSTRONG, OE VCHAITANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

RAI LWAYHSIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,521, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed June 19, 1897. Serial No. 641,505. (No model.)

l is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-signals for use at stations, crossings, bridges, tunnels, and other places where it is desired to give notice to the traveling public of the approach of a train, thereby reducing to a minimum the liability of accidents at crossings and other places.

The object of my 'invention is to provide a simple construction of parts in which an audible signal is actuated mechanically by the wheel-flanges of a passing train; and a further object of my invention is to provide simple means for taking up automatically the slack in the transmitting wires or cables and thus maintain the parts under proper tension, so that they respond quickly to the action of the toggle-bars.

To the accomplishment'of these ends my invention consists in the novel combination of elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwaysignal constructed in accordance with my invention. Eig. 2 is a plan view of a part of a track, illustrating the boxing or housing, the rock-shaft, and the toggle-bars. Eig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown by Fig. 2. Fig. 4c is a vertical cross-sectional elevation on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Eig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the poles and the cable-slack compensator thereon. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of the ad jacent ends of the toggle-bars to show the construction thereof. Fig. 7 illustrates the manner of supporting one of the compensator devices on a telegraph-pole to utilize the latterin the installation of my signal mechanism.

Like numerals of reference denote correspending parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to whichp l and 2 designate the rails, and 8 the cross- .ties, of an ordinary railway-track. Between two of the ties of the track l construct a boX- ing or framework 5, which is bolted or otherwise fastened to the ties. In this boxing is arranged a short rock-shaft G, which extends across the track and which is suitably journaled in bearings in the frame. The rockshaft 6 is provided with collars 6', that serve to hold the shaft against endwise movement, and to one of the protruding ends of said shaft is attached an arm 7. On the extremity of the arm is mounted a pulley or roller S, jour? naled on a stud orpin 9, which is attached to the arm 7. To the opposite end of the rockshaft 6 from the arm 7 is fastened another arm 10, which is operatively connected to the toggle-bars 11 12.

Adjacent to one of the rails of the track on the outside thereof is fastened a horizontal board 13, andv on this board is arranged the toggle-,bars 11 12, the latter lying close up to one of the rails. The toggle-bars are arranged substantially in alinement with each other lengthwise of the track, and the outer ends of said toggle-bars are slotted, as at 14, to receive the vertical bolts 15, that pass through the slots and through the footboard 13, whereby the bolts serve to pivotally support the toggle-bars on the footboard. Each toggle-bar is flanged at the side adjacent to the track-rail, as at 1G, and the adjacent or meeting ends of said toggle-bars are cut away at opposite sides to form the shoulders 17 and the recesses 18, thus enabling the toggle-bars to overlap one another at the meeting ends thereof. Said toggle-bars are further provided on their lower sides with integral or rigidly-attached arms 19 20, and these arms are recessed to enable them to lap one another.

The toggle levers or bars 11 l2 are operatively connected with the arm 10 of the rockshaft 6 by means of the link 21. This link is arranged in a vertical position, and it passes through and plays in a vertical slot 21', provided in the footboard 13. The lower end of the vertical link is forked to straddle the extremity of the arm 10, and the link and arm are pivotally connected by a transverse pin or IOO bolt 22. The upper end of the link 21 is also ter is thus pivotally mounted on the frame to forked or bifurcated to straddle the overlapping ends of the arms 19 2O of the togglebars, and said link and the toggle-bars are pivotally attached by a transverse pin or bolt 23, which passes through the forked end of the link and through the overlapped ends of the arms 19 2O of the toggle-bars. By this construction I am enabled to attach the toggle-bars to the rock-shaft in a manner to pre- -vent the wheel-flanges from striking the pivotal joint between the toggle-bars and the connecting-link, said joint lying below the eX- posed faces of the flanged toggle-bars. The toggle-bars and the link are connected Ytogether by a single pivotal pin or bolt, and the joints are lapped to reduce to a minimum any wrenching strain on the parts exposed to the pressure and weight of the passing train.

The toggle-bars are normally raised to inclined positions above the face or top of the track-rail by means of pressure-springs 25, which are seated upon the footboard 13 and against the toggle-bars. The said toggle-bars are thus presented or exposed above the trackrail for the wheel iianges or treads to ride thereon, and by having the top faces of the toggle-bars flanged adjacent to the head of the track-rail the flanges of the wheels have a tendency to press the toggle-bars inward toward and against the head of the trackrail, thus obviating any outward pressure upon the toggle-bars by the Wheel-flanges riding between the toggle-bars and the trackrail and reducing the tendency to wrench and displace the toggle-bars.

At suitable intervals along the side of a track I erect a series of poles or uprights 27 2S, and 29, the last-named pole, 29, being situated adjacent to the tunnel, crossing, station, or other place where it is desired to warn the public by an audible signal of the approach of a train. These posts or uprights may be arranged at suitable distances apart, and when a telegraph-line is adjacent to the track I may dispense with one or more of the poles 27 or 28 and utilize in lieu thereof one or more of the telegraph-poles. The poles 27 are equipped with guides through which leads or runs the connecting wire or cable; but on one or more of the posts 28 I provide the compensator 3l, that operates to take up any slack vin the wire or cable and to maintain the latter taut under all conditions of service. One or a series of these compensators may be used in my mechanical signaling system, according to the length of the connecting wire or cable and the tension it is desired or necessary to maintain in said wire or cable. Each compensator device has a frame 32 of any suitable form, a rock-shaft 33, a weighted pendant 34, and an arm 35. I may cast the rock-shaft, its weighted pendant, and the arm in one single piece, thus simplifying and cheapening the construction. The frame 32 is provided with suitable bearings to receive the terminals of the rock-shaft, and the latswing or rock therein. l preferably arrange the shaft to have the weight hang downwardly therefrom, while the arm 35 extends upwardly from the shaft.

The conducting wire or cable 36 has one end attached to the pulley or roller 3. From this pulley the wire or cable runs through the guides on the poles 27, and it is attached to the arms 35 of the rock-shafts, forming parts of the compensator devices. The other end of the wire or cable is connected to an audible signalor alarm device 30, provided on the pole 29. This signal may be of any suitable kind; but I prefer to use a bell, which is carried by a rock-shaft 30', the latter having an arm 30", to which arm the remote end of the wire or cable 36 is connected in a suitable way.

This being the construction of my improved railway-signal the operation may be described as follows: The bell or other signal normally remains at rest, with the wire or cable 36 held under tension by the compensator devices, and the toggle-bars 11 12 are raised slightly above the track by the action of the springs. As a train approaches a crossing the wheelflanges ride upon the raised ends of the toggle-bars and bear against the flanges thereof to press said bars inwardly against the rail. The weight of the passing wheels on a train of cars imparts vertical impulses in a downward direction to the toggle-bars against the tension of the springs thereof, and these impulses or vibrations are transmitted by the link to the rock-shaft. The rock-shaft pulls on the cable or wire 36 to overcome the gravity of the compensator-weights, and said wire or cable thus actuates the signal-bell to sound the alarm. The signal is'actuated automatically so long as the cars operate upon the toggle-bars, and the signal thus sounds continuously While the train approaches the crossing, tunnel, bridge, or other place to warn the public of the approach of the train.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings I have illustrated one of the compensator devices mounted upon atelegraph-pole adjacent to the track. The rock-shaft of the compensator is journaled in suitable bearings on one of the cross-arms or trees of the telegraph-pole, and this rockshaft carries the arm to which the connecting wire or cable is attached and the Weighted pendant that operates to hold the cable under tension.

Various changes may be made in the form and proportion of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanical railway signal system, the combination of spring-actuated togglebars adjacent to one of the track-rails, a distant audible signal, a series of pendulumcompensators intermediate of the toggle-bars and the distant signal, and a connecting wire IOO IIO

or cable having its terminals operatively connected With the signal and the toggle-bars, and connected at points intermediate of its length With said pendulum-compensators, as and for the purposes described.

2. In a signaling system, the combination of a rock-shaft arranged below the track, a pair of toggle-bars situated adjacent to a track-rail and provided on their sides next to the track-rail With longitudinal, flangeengaging ribs, a link connected with said tog gle-bars and with the rock-shaft, and a distant signal operatively connected, by inter mediate mechanism, with said rock-shaft, as and for the purposes described.

3. In a signaling system, the toggle-bars provided With the longitudinal iianges, and with the arms on the lower sides thereof; the adjacent ends of said iianged bars and the arms thereof constructed to overlap one anotlieigcombined with a rockshaft,a link which embraces the lapped ends of said arms and is pivotally attached to said arms and to the rockshaft, and a signal device operatively connected with the rock-shaft, as and for the purposes described.

fl. In a signaling system, t-he combination with toggle-bars, and a rock-shaft, of a distant signal device, a pendulum-compensator having a Weighted pendant and an arm. on a common rock-shaft, and a connecting Wire or cable attached at its ends to the rock-shaft and the signal, and connected at a point intermediate of its length to the arm of the pendulum-compensator device, as and for the purposes described.

5. In a railway signaling system, the combination of a pair of spring-pressed togglebars, a rock-shaft, a vertical link connecting said rock-shaft with the toggle-bars, a series of posts, a series of pendulum-compensator shafts mounted on certain of the posts, and each shaft carrying a Weighted pendant and an arm, a distant signal, and a connecting Wire or cable attached at its ends to the rockshaft and to the signal, and connected at points intermediate of its length to the arms of the pendulum-compensator shafts, as and Y for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ANDREW J ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:

S. E. CROW, HENRY L. ARMSTRONG. 

